The Wright Brothers Memorial is the only one that has ever been built to living people. I think we all need to take a moment to just stop and thank the two brothers that made it possible for us to just decide travel by air anywhere in the world.
One of my goals in the early stages of this trip was to get the America The Beautiful Senior Pass that allows me to enter any national park free and has many other discounts as well for anyone over the age of 62. They had them at Hatteras Lighthouse so was able to purchase it for 10 dollars and it is good for the rest of my life. There are other passes for the younger generations which save money as well if you use them a lot. I got a senior rate at the light house and at the Wright Memorial both Sarah and I got in free. I have more than saved my 10 dollars already. Can you imagine just how much I will save when I get out west to the big parks that charge entrance fees.
On to the memorial - They have a ranger who gives a talk on the first powered controlled flight on December 17,1903. It is very informative and only lasts about 30 minutes. Our ranger was a wealth of information and made it fun to learn facts and figures. On that date there were 4 flights made each longer than the first starting with 120 feet in 12 second and the last being 852 feet in the air for 59 seconds. Quite a feat in 1903 especially in December. Kitty Hawk, NC was chosen because it was number six on the list of fastest sustained winds and for it small population. You have to remember that people actually thought these two brothers were totally crazy so they were avoiding ridicule while they were proving that manned controlled flight could be done.
This will give you much more knowledge than I can.
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| A long walk to the monument, but we did it rather than drive out there. |
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| Looking back at the visitors center from the base of the memorial. |
This day was one of exploration, good food and wonderful company.
Until Next Time.........
Sounds like a very interesting day. Glad to hear you got your senior pass. Don't forget you can also use it at COE parks.
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